[✔️] October 16, 2023- Global Warming News Digest | Again Antarctica, Influencing, PR firms, Social media, ISA, Parody music 1988 presidential election

Mon Oct 16 09:51:02 EDT 2023

/*October 16*//*, 2023*/

/[  video opinion "a bit of a double whammy here!"]
/ *We need to talk about ANTARCTICA...AGAIN!!*
Just Have a Think
Oct 15, 2023
Global ocean surface temperatures are so high that climate scientists 
are describing them as "off the charts". September 2023 global average 
surface temperatures obliterated the previous record high, causing those 
same scientists to declare the result 'shocking' and 'out of control'. 
The consequences for the world's largest ice sheet are already 
measurable. The 2023 Antarctic Sea ice maximum was more than a million 
square kilometres lower than the previous low record. Now two scientific 
research teams published data on just how bad it is likely to get.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0qRoeEcKtY

/[ No, you are not paranoid (at least about this issue) ]
/*Big Oil Paying Millions To Social Media Influencers To Target Millennials*
By Alex Kimani - Aug 21, 2023,
Big oil and gas companies are paying millions to influencers on social 
media and PR firms to market their companies to a younger audience.
Nora Capistrano Sangalang--a TikTok and Instagram influencer with 1.7 
million followers--has partnered with Shell to promote their loyalty 
program.
Exxon Mobil’s newly minted ‘Low Carbon’ segment is the kind of 
sustainable businesses that Big Oil is desperately trying to be 
identified with by younger generations.

Big oil and gas companies like Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE:XOM) and Shell 
Plc (NYSE:SHEL) have been working with social media influencers and PR 
firms that help them target millennials and younger generations, 
Business Insider has reported. According to the publication, more than 
100 influencers have partnered with oil companies since 2017.

"They are trying to win the trust of a younger generation. They're not 
just promoting a particular product, but trying to alter their 
perception in the public eye and maintain their social license" Sam 
Bright, DeSmog's UK deputy editor, has told The Post.

"Many don't know we are also, in a disciplined way, investing billions 
in low-carbon solutions and products in support of a balanced energy 
transition. Making customers aware of those products by way of 
advertising on social media is one way we pursue business performance 
and a valid part of our marketing activities,"Shell spokesperson Curtis 
Smith has told The Post.

"ExxonMobil, like many companies, works with influencers to educate 
consumers about the full benefits of our rewards program," Julie King, a 
spokesperson for ExxonMobil, has told Insider.

Nora Capistrano Sangalang--a TikTok and Instagram influencer with 1.7 
million followers--has partnered with Shell to promote their loyalty 
program while Meredith Steele--a TikTok influencer with 1 million 
followers--partnered with ExxonMobil last year to promote their rewards 
app.

But Big Oil companies aren't working alone. Edelman, a public relations 
firm, is working with Shell to promote it to millennials and younger 
audiences

"The company tasked Edelman with the job of giving millennials a reason 
to connect emotionally with Shell's commitment to a sustainable future. 
We needed them to forget their prejudices about 'big oil' and think 
differently about Shell,"  Edelman's website reads.

*Sustainable Businesses*
Exxon Mobil’s newly minted ‘Low Carbon’ segment is the kind of 
sustainable businesses that Big Oil is desperately trying to be 
identified with by younger generations

Back in February, Exxon pulled the plug on its 14-year-long algae 
biofuels project, becoming the last oil company to abandon what was once 
considered the fuel of the future. The whole idea was not without merit, 
though. Algae do have some clear advantages over other biofuel 
candidates, mainly because these photosynthetic microorganisms are 
super-efficient at converting sunlight into biomass, have high lipid 
content of up to 80% for some varieties and are more versatile than, 
say, corn, a common biofuel crop.

Unfortunately, Exxon and its Big Oil cohorts discovered that it's too 
tough to make the economics of algae biofuels competitive with those of 
much cheaper crude, with algae-based bioproducts firm Cellana estimating 
that crude would have to hit ~$500/bbl for algae biofuels to compete 
successfully.
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Big-Oil-Paying-Millions-To-Social-Media-Influencers-To-Target-Millennials.html

- -

*Oil companies are approaching influencers and enlisting PR firms to 
reach younger generations on social media*
Katie Hawkinson Aug 19, 2023, 1:05 PM PDT

  * TikTok influencers with millions of followers are partnering with
    companies like ExxonMobil and Shell.
  * These companies are also using PR firms that help them target
    millenials and younger generations, The Washington Post reports.
  * "They are trying to win the trust of a younger generation," one
    investigative reporter said.

"ExxonMobil, like many companies, works with influencers to educate 
consumers about the full benefits of our rewards program," Julie King, a 
spokesperson for ExxonMobil, told Insider.

Both outlets cited TikTok and Instagram influencer Nora Capistrano 
Sangalang — with 1.7 million followers — partnered with Shell to promote 
their loyalty program. Another example includes Meredith Steele — a 
TikTok influencer with 1 million followers — also partnered with 
ExxonMobil last year to promote their rewards app.

https://www.businessinsider.com/oil-companies-are-partnering-with-social-media-influencers-2023-8

- -

[  Says Barron's ]
*OIL COMPANIES ARE PAYING SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS
*By Linnea Pedersen, Roland LLOYD PARRY
August 29, 2023

Oil companies are paying popular influencers to pump their gas on social 
media, sparking a backlash from some climate-conscious fans for 
promoting planet-warming fossil fuels among young people.

Young online celebrities best known for posting about video games, their 
dogs or their holidays to millions of followers are also dropping in 
unexpected plugs for gasoline stations, fuel rewards and club cards.

AFP found cases of such spots in India, Mexico, South Africa and the 
United States that promoted major oil firms such as BP, Chevron, 
ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies on platforms including Instagram, 
TikTok and Twitch.

"Come with me to get some snacks at my family Shell gas station," says 
one TikTok influencer, dubbed The Petrol Princess, who usually models 
wigs for her 2.7 million followers.

Her account is tagged as a "paid partnership" in line with the 
platform's rules.

In a separate investigation, DeSmog, a news site reporting on climate 
disinformation, said it found more than 100 influencers who had promoted 
oil and gas companies -- including a Filipina grandmother who usually 
posts about her family.

Analysts say companies are targeting young people on social media to 
shore up their oil and gas-based business even as countries seek cleaner 
alternatives to limit global warming, which is caused overwhelmingly by 
burning fossil fuels.

"Many young people are well aware of the urgency of the climate crisis 
and take a dim view of fossil fuel companies," which are now seeking to 
"build up social capital" with such audiences, said Melissa Aronczyk, a 
professor of communication and information at Rutgers University.

Some sponsored posts have received a mixed welcome.

One gamer, who has 178,000 followers for her @chica account on 
Instagram, drew sighs of dismay with a recent post showcasing a new 
Shell-sponsored feature in the video game Fortnite.

"I understand you have to make money but advertising a fossil fuel 
company in 2023 ain't the way," wrote one of her followers.

AFP found videos promoting products for US oil giant ExxonMobil, 
including one by a pregnant mother at a gas station using the company's 
rewards programme, and one by a wedding-themed influencer.

"ExxonMobil, like many companies, works with influencers to educate 
consumers about the full benefits of our fuel rewards program," company 
media relations spokesperson Lauren Kight told AFP in an email.

A Shell spokesperson who asked not to be named told AFP it used 
advertising and social media to promote its low-carbon products, but 
declined to provide examples. They would not comment on the paid 
partnerships for petrol products.

In a search of Shell renewable fuel-related hashtags, AFP found just a 
handful of Instagram posts promoting its electric car-charging application.

BP, Chevron and TotalEnergies did not respond to requests to comment.

Duncan Meisel, executive director of Clean Creatives, a campaign to 
encourage PR and advertising professionals to abandon fossil-fuel 
clients, said an influencer ad for fossil fuels was "probably less 
questionable than one focused on greenwashing" -– where companies 
exaggerate their climate efforts.

But he judged it "more ethically suspect in other ways, because it's 
encouraging more use of a product that is actively harming people."

He said it was hard to gauge the scale of such advertising due to 
inconsistent labelling.

In one snapshot, analysis published in 2021 by the think tank 
InfluenceMap found that oil companies spent $10 million on Facebook ads 
in a year.

Instagram and TikTok demand users label branded content when they have 
been paid or received gifts from the company, along with restrictions on 
advertising dangerous products. They do not list fossil fuels among these.

Although endorsements by "third-party" personalities are a long-standing 
technique in advertising, Meisel and Aronczyk said fossil fuel firms' 
bid to court influencers could backfire.

"Growing up on your vids to watch you sell out to one of the most 
unethical and inhumane company (sic) in existence," wrote one of several 
dismayed followers to another gamer who plugged Shell fuel in an 
Instagram video.

"So devastating... There's no way you needed the money that bad."

None of the influencers mentioned in this story responded to requests to 
comment.

"Influencers that work with fossil fuel companies should expect their 
reputation to take a hit," said Meisel.

"Fossil fuel companies are the world's biggest polluters, deeply 
disliked by young people -- and for anyone who sees these videos, the 
unfollow button is never far away."

The Barron's news department was not involved in the creation of the 
content above. This story was produced by AFP. For more information go 
to AFP.com.
https://www.barrons.com/news/oil-firms-pay-insta-tiktok-influencers-for-ads-f7590733

- -

/[ -- Hey we knew this from 2021 --  ]/
*OH NO, OIL COMPANIES ARE PAYING SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS NOW*
THIS ROAD TRIP BROUGHT TO YOU BY, UH, GASOLINE./
/
6. 15. 21
by  DAN ROBITZSKI/
/
SponCon
In retrospect, we have known that it was only a matter of time before 
giant oil companies like Shell started to sponsor influencers' posts on 
social media — because here we are.

Surely, you may be telling yourself, surely no one is buying into an 
eco-friendly cross-country trip sponsored by big oil. But that's exactly 
what's happening, Earther reports. Just look at this disturbingly ironic 
post by lifestyle Cherrie Lynn Almonte that talks about the perils of 
climate change and how it threatens California's iconic landscapes — 
right beneath a disclaimer that the post was paid for by Shell.
https://futurism.com/the-byte/oil-companies-paying-social-media-influencers

/[ Learn of the *ISA* - International Seabed Authority -- 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf1GvrUqeIA ]/
*The race to mine the bottom of the ocean*
Vox
Oct 11, 2023
We have a lot to gain — and a lot to lose — from deep-sea mining.
- -
There are metallic deposits scattered throughout our ocean floors — 
among hydrothermal vents, under the crust of seamounts, and scattered 
along sea plains in the form of rocks. As it happens, in our search for 
climate solutions, these metals have become more critical than ever to 
help us transition away from fossil fuels. We need them for everything 
like electric car batteries, copper wiring for electrification and wind 
turbines.  Our land-based deposits have met our needs so far, but it’s 
unclear whether they will continue to, or whether we’ll want to keep 
destroying the environment to do so.

This video explains the history and the debate over mining metals in the 
deep sea and why one Canadian company, The Metals Company, is leading 
the rush there. There are huge environmental implications for digging up 
seafloor ecosystems as well as ethical ones: Metal-rich zones like the 
Clarion-Clipperton Zone lie in international waters that technically 
belong to everyone. A United Nations body located in Kingston, Jamaica, 
the International Seabed Authority, is faced with an urgent dilemma over 
how to regulate mining, whether the environmental harm is worth the 
benefits to solving our climate crisis, and how to fairly share the 
profits from this shared resource.

You can dig into the exploration contracts issued by the International 
Seabed Authority here:
https://www.isa.org.jm/exploration-contracts/
The New York Times has done some important investigative work on deep 
sea mining:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/29/world/deep-sea-mining.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf1GvrUqeIA

/[  Parody music -- upbeat - 3 min video ]/
*Petro Dollars - Parody of Wooly Bully | Don Caron*
Parody Project
Jul 14, 2023
I don't know if you heard the news but supposedly Biden is going to 
announce the introduction of the US Crypto Dollar on the 26th of July 
2023. There is rampant speculation about what this means including 
speculation that it's a move toward a cashless economy. At any rate it 
seemed like a good time to repost this, originally posted in 2018.
Executive Producers Don Caron and Jerry Pender
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bnszfboM9g

/[The archive - looking back at presidential elections ]/
/*October 16, 1988*/
October 16, 1988: Discussing the role of global warming in the 1988 
presidential election, Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman observes:

"Last summer, one of the hottest and driest on record, the nation was 
roused by alarms about the 'greenhouse effect'--the gradual warming of 
the globe that threatens to turn coastal cities into underwater ruins 
and corn fields into salt flats.

"The problem is that for the last century or so industrial societies 
have been releasing substances into the air that capture heat and erode 
the Earth`s shield against the sun. The villains? Carbon dioxide from 
the burning of fossil fuels, methane from natural and man-made sources 
and aerosol propellants.

"But as soon as the heat dissipated, so did interest in the issue. In 
the campaign, the greenhouse effect has gone almost unmentioned...

"Both candidates pretend the solutions will be painless and free. Both 
pass over the obvious remedies in favor of the politically appealing ones.

"The nations of the world have taken one step by agreeing on a treaty to 
reduce the use of aerosol propellants. But any serious attempt to slow 
the warming of the Earth requires at least three additional measures: 
discouraging the use of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas; big 
improvements in energy efficiency; and greater reliance on nuclear power."

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-10-16/news/8802080029_1_greenhouse-effect-global-warming-environmentalism

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